


You Gave Me A Home

by PrincessaKyla



Series: You Gave Me A Home: An Opera [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alcohol, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - High School, But He Gets Better, Child Abuse, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Graphic Depictions of Illness, Homophobia, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Internalized Homophobia, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Severe Trauma, Stony - Freeform, Tony Stark Has Issues, Trans Character, Trans Peter Parker, Trans Tony Stark, Transphobia, high school and college years, hispanic tony stark, nor are they particularly nice to steve rogers, people are not nice to tony stark, tony is an ass because of mental health reasons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-08 09:27:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19867309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessaKyla/pseuds/PrincessaKyla
Summary: In the beginning, Steve Rogers was a scrawny, sickly scholarship to the prestigious Shield and Sword Prep School and Tony Stark was the one who ruled the school. But when a new teacher sees the potential for growth and pairs them together for a project, the world gets turned upside down, as both get a new view into the world the other inhabits. Violent drunk fathers, creepy uncles, overbearing nuns and foster parents, internalized hatred. Insight breeds understanding breeds friendship which turns to more without much prompting. Eventually, it's a happy ever after. But the roller coaster they'll need to ride to get there is rough.This is the main work of the "You Gave Me A Home: An Opera" series.





	1. Overture

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, strap in folks. This is about to be a long one and those warnings are there for a very good reason. The first two or three chapters won't have much but after that it will likely start to include them. So be forewarned. Tags will be updated as need be but they are already a pretty good representation of what is to come. Please note this piece is structured like an opera. The previous piece in the series is a Prelude, meaning the piece played before the main show (an opening act of sorts) and this first chapter is an Overture. An Overture often opens the show and is played before the curtain goes up, introducing major musical themes of the work.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> This is part of the Bringing Food to the Lab Discord server creator's bingo.

Steve flicked the lights of the den on as he stepped down into the room, heading for the coffee table. He carefully set his mug of tea down and stepped over to the bookcase. Trailing his fingers across the spines of the books there, he came to a stop on a worn leather binding, soft with repeated contact with the oils in his fingers and no small amount of engine grease from Tony’s late night perusing. Steve pulled the book out, noting the gaps from where he’d inserted thicker items -- the program from Tony’s third Master’s graduation came to mind -- in the pages of the album, and headed back to his easy chair, pulling a small bundle of notes from his pocket before sitting.

“Hey babe,” Tony called from a few rooms away. “Did you see where I stashed my T? I thought it was in the lab but apparently not…”

“Did you check the medicine box by your bathroom sink?” Steve asked knowingly.

“Oh. No. That’s where it is, isn’t it?” By then Tony was leaning against the doorjamb of the den, grease covered rag in hands as he tried to wipe off the residual oil.

Steve nodded. “So that it’s nice and safe, and not somewhere it could be confused with Peter’s when he comes to visit.”

“Right right. Smart thinking, honey.” The shorter man made his way over to where Steve was now flipping through the album he kept of their important moments. “Whatcha doin with that old thing?” he asked curiously.

His husband held up the stack of love notes without looking up. “Putting these iiiin hello hot stuff,” he said, pausing on a picture of Tony on one of their first vacations as a couple. “I definitely should have asked you to keep that swimsuit.”

“Oh hush,” Tony said, blushing. He leaned his hip against the arm of the chair and looked over Steve’s shoulder. “Ohhh that old thing? I got rid of it with the tits.”

“Oh I know,” Steve said. He glanced up at Tony. “But you still look really good in a bikini.”  
“Careful or you’ll pop a boner and neither of us will get anything done all evening,” Tony teased. He flipped a page and smiled. “High school graduation feels like eons ago.” He pointed at the picture of the two of them, Bucky, Pepper and Nat all in a gaggle, blue robes hanging open. “Course, that’s cause it _was_ eons ago.”

“Twenty years is not eons,” Steve said. He carefully started flipping to the end of the album. “You were literally sixteen, and then proceeded to finish your Bachelor’s and a Master’s in the time it took me and the others to do undergrad.”

“Yes, well, I had to keep myself busy somehow or Howard would never have forgiven me,” Tony pointed out. “Besides, you knew when we became friends that I was doing college simultaneously to high school and was only there because my psychologist thought it would help me socially.”

“She was right, though.” Finally reaching the next open set of pages, Steve began carefully placing the love notes into the album. “We would never have gotten together if you hadn’t done it that way.”

“Well I wouldn’t say  _ never _ ,” Tony hedged. “We’d probably have met when Howard did his experiments on you and we might have gotten together sometime in the ensuing years.”

“Yeah but would we have lasted? You were a grade a asshole at the time.”

“I was repressing a lot, and not processing some severe trauma, cut me a break.”

Steve took his hand and kissed the knuckles, ignoring the grease and oil. “I know, doll. I know. I just don’t think you’d have been able to process things in the appropriate way for us to still be together if we hadn’t started the way we did.”

“Maybe you’re right. God, I still have nightmares about that place.”

“The high school? Tony, you ruled it. You weren’t like me and Buck.”

He shook his head. “No. No I ruled it. And had a very different set of terrors to deal with. While you and Bucky were breaking up fights and defending the bullied, I was fending off entitled creeps whose fathers wanted in good with mine and so tried to hookup with or date me, and girls whose mothers wanted us to be best friends so that they could have tea with Maria Stark. It was sort of vicious.”

Steve finished placing in the notes and looked up at him. “That’s fair. High school was awful.” He flipped back to the very start of the album, a picture one of their teachers had taken their senior year, the fateful project that started it all. Neither of them looked very happy, Tony’s long hair in the messiest of buns and Steve’s scrawny shoulders hunched over in the lead up to a coughing fit the medicine from Howard hadn’t managed to stave off. “But we did a lot of growing.”

That earned a smile from Tony. “Yeah. We did didn’t we? God. Look at us. How different we were.” He leaned closer. “You were cute even then though. Truly. Sickly was a decent look on you.” Steve just laughed.


	2. Act 1: "First Day Blues", Ensemble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day of senior year. This'll be fun right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it truly begins!!! The ensemble number to kick off Act 1, which traditionally introduces the main players.

_ 21 Years Ago... _

Steve sighed as he clambered off the bus, Bucky close behind to keep anyone from knocking the much frailer blonde over in their rush to get off. “Fuckin’ city bus,” he grumbled. “Couldn’t you have just let Sister Margaret drive us?”

“Why, so that the rich jerks could laugh at us even more?” Steve asked bitterly. He hitched his bag up higher on his shoulder, the threadbare strap threatening to give out. “Bad enough they notice the threadbare uniforms and beat up shoes. Last thing I want to give he- them is the whole parochial school jokeset.”

Bucky raised an eyebrow but said nothing, choosing instead to take Steve’s backpack and swing it onto his free shoulder. He cut off Steve’s protests before they started. “Nope, just start walking, Rogers. We’ve got forty minutes before we’re late and it’s a twenty minute walk on a good day.”

With a grumble about how he could “carry my own bag,” Steve set off walking. It wasn’t a long walk, but Bucky was right that it would take them twenty minutes on a good day, probably more on a bad one. For a moment, as they started up a hill, Steve regretted his own stubbornness. The rich kids were already going to tease him, try and make him cry or go into a coughing fit so they could laugh. What would one more reminder that he and Buck were scholarship nerds from an orphanage really do? Then, he remembered  _ her _ face as Sister Boniface had dropped him off for his last treatment and he knew. Anymore reminders of his pithy background were ammo she didn’t need to have.

“You’re brooding again,” Bucky said, voice verging on exasperated. “Come on, just ignore the bitch.”

“Hard to ignore her when she’s literally there at all of my treatments and is in my classes.”

There was a moment of silence and then -- “Okay that’s a fair point.” Bucky sighed. “I just wish you’d stop letting her get to you.”

“Easier said than done.”

The conversation lapsed then, Steve’s breathing getting more and more labored as they walked. It was getting better over time, thanks to the treatments he was getting from Howard Stark, but it wasn’t instantaneous, and it always got worse the closer he got to the next treatment date. Bucky worried over him, constantly, but Steve refused to let it slow him down. His mother had instilled in him a sense of determination and “fuck you” spirit to take on even the biggest of foes, a David for all Goliaths as the sisters called him. Bucky just called him an idiot. Keepin’ on keepin’ on was one thing, but killing yourself was another, he thought. And Steve...well Steve usually erred on the side of killing himself without realizing it. Both of them had a slight sheen of sweat by the time they walked up to the gate of the school, Steve’s chest heaving with the August humidity and heat, not to mention the pollutants of city life.

“You good?” Bucky asked.

“Yep,” Steve said. “Let’s get this over with.”

They slipped into the fray of students entering the front gate, Bucky handing Steve his backpack back as they headed for the front steps. “Do you need to go update your information with the nurse?” Bucky asked.

“Nah. Sister Genevieve and I did that at schedule pick up. Let’s just get to class.” With a shrug, Bucky fell into step just behind him, a confident stride that tended to have girls ogling him and twittering with illicit attraction quickly taking over and transforming him from just another prep school kid hiking through the city into a smooth talking kid from the wrong side of the tracks. But not so wrong that girls felt they couldn’t take him home to meet Mommy and Daddy. Steve snorted. “Nice going, Buck.”

“What? Gotta use what I’ve got. Until you and Stark finally realize you hate each other because you wanna fu--”

“Mr. Barnes, Mr. Rogers,” a familiar voice said.

Bucky sighed and closed his eyes for a millisecond before pasting on a polite smile. “Good morning, Headmaster Fury. How was your summer?”

“It was quite peaceful. I’d thank you and your loyal sidekick in advance for ensuring the school year is the same.”

“You know we don’t start fights, Headmaster,” Steve said.

“Yes but you do end them and that’s just as messy. You two are good kids. Act like it for once? This is the year that really counts for you two. You can get some great opportunities if you just stay out of trouble.”

“We’ll take it under advisement, sir.” Steve gave him the winning, angelic smile that won most teachers over.

Fury just snorted. “Have a good first day, gentlemen. JEAN GRAY I KNOW I DID NOT JUST SEE YOU ROLL UP THAT SKIRT!” And with that, Fury was off and away, terrorising the underclassmen and bickering with the upperclassmen who, like Steve and Bucky, knew he was mostly harmless until you really pissed him off. He could still be heard down the hallway just around the corner, chewing out some poor freshman who’d forgotten a necktie when the atmosphere of the hallway changed entirely. The general roar of conversation dimmed and people parted like the Red Sea in front of Moses to allow through the clique generally known as school royalty.

Sleazeball guys like Justin Hammer and Alexander Pierce flanked a group of girls that could only be described as magazine covers made real. And in the center of it, laughing and jabbering away while typing on her phone as some hapless guy carried her book bag, was Antonia Maria Damita Cesaria Stark, or “Toni” as most people lucky enough to be graced by her friendship called her.

Steve just called her  _ Her _ . Or, if she’d been particularly awful, Devil.

Toni stopped as she drew even with the two of them. “Morning boys. How was your summer? Oh wait, I forgot. Rogers spent half of it taking up all my father’s time. Thanks for getting the family vacation cancelled, Steven.”

Steve said nothing and the group laughed before moving on.

“Sons of bitches,” said a soft voice next to Steve.

“Hi Nat,” he said without looking. “How was your summer?”

“I got dragged back to Russia and made to do ballet for ten hours a day, how do you think?” she asked darkly, still watching the clique of rich kids. She shook her head. “Someone needs to get Toni away from them. She could be so much more.”

“Let’s get to homeroom,” Bucky said, face a mask of neutrality.

The sound of Toni’s loud laughing and sharp Spanish as she recounted some story about her mother followed them into the classroom as they settled into their seats. Natalie and Bucky were whispering away in a mix of Russian and Romanian that Steve just barely followed, both of them casting wary glances at fellow classmates as they filed in. Neither of them were looking, however, when Toni stopped in the doorway, made a big show of saying goodbye to one of her friends, and then proceeded to make her way into the classroom and take the seat right next to Steve’s center front spot.

He tried not to groan.

The bell rang soon after and the teacher started calling the roll. When everyone was accounted for, she started by introducing herself.

“My name’s Maria Hill, you can call me Ms. Hill. Clearly I’m your homeroom teacher, but I primarily teach personal health, and the life skills course. Some of you have that first period so we’ll have some fun then. For today I just want to go around the room, introduce ourselves quickly. Name, grade level, what you did this summer  _ in brief _ . I’m talking five words. Aaaaand go.” She pointed at Nat.

“Natasha Romanov, senior, Russian ballet.”

Ms. Hill nodded and indicated that the next person should follow. On and on it went until finally they had snaked through everyone else but Toni. With a smug look, she rattled off her whole name for the class, before ending with, “Yachting in Spain and the Maldives.”

“Six words there but I’ll allow it for today. Two announcements. Extra curriculars will resume regular meetings and activity starting next week excluding sports! This means if you’re here after school this week, Headmaster Fury will ask questions. Second, nominations for student council are due next Thursday by 3 pm to Miss Carter’s office. Obviously, you can submit them early but they must be in by then, no late nominations are to be accepted.” The bell rang. “Ah right on time. Have a good day folks. If you’ve got me for first period, this is your bathroom break. I’d take it!”

Bucky hauled himself out of his desk and headed to refill his water bottle while Nat leaned over and tapped Steve’s shoulder. “So how ya feelin, Rogers? Those experimental treatments working so far?”

“Oh they’re working marvelously,” Toni butted in. “Father’s very pleased with the progress being made.”

“I was talking to Steve, but thanks for the input,” Nat said flatly. She looked at Steve. “Really, how are you feeling?”

Steve shrugged. “Better. Still struggling on bad days, but Buck doesn’t look worried I’ll keel over dead anymore so I’d call that progress.”

“Definitely progress. How much longer does Mr. Stark anticipate you needing the big treatments?”

Steve shrugged. “Roughly another year? He thinks we’ll be done by graduation at least.”

“That’s good. Means you can go off to school somewhere better for you.”

Steve snorted. “Yeah, cause I’ll totally be able to afford somewhere out of the city.”

“There are scholarships, grants. You’re a first generation American and a first gen college kid if you go,” Nat pointed out. “Plus you’re lgbtq+, an orphan, and working class. Literally people will pay you to go to school.”

Steve shrugged. “We’ll see. There are people that need that money even more than I do.”

Nat sighed in frustration and Bucky returned then. “He bein a stubborn ass again?”

Nat said something in Russian amounting to calling Steve a mule and Bucky nearly cackled before replying with a related joke.

“Be nice to your friend,” Ms. Hill said, her Russian slightly accented but passable. “He’s got passion, I can tell.” The two teenagers blinked at her, slightly nonplussed, and she grinned. “Didn’t expect that did you?”

The bell rang and a couple of people scooted in at the last second, including a little freshman with red tips in her hair and a leather bracelet on.

“Settle in folks. I’ve got you for a whole hour.” Roll call was quick, and then they did the same introduction they’d done for homeroom.

“Alright, now that we’ve all introduced ourselves, syllabus time!” People groaned and she chuckled. “Alright alright chill. I promise to be really brief.” She started passing packets down the rows. “Big things to note. You get five bathroom passes a quarter. I won’t make you use them for things like going to the nurse, and they roll over. Use them wisely. As for the class itself, it’s activity based and we will take field trips for some real hands on learning. You’ve probably heard that this is the class that leaves to get food, and you heard correct. But the catch is, you’ll be making the food. Eight big projects over the course of the year, two a quarter. You will be assigned a partner. First project is a test run. If you guys get along after that, you stay together for the rest of the year. Kind of like a marriage. You will be graded on individual basis. Questions?”

Bucky raised his hand. “What happens if we have a falling out with our partner after, like, project five?”

“Well lucky for you, project two is conflict mediation and resolution. So we’d put those skills to the test.”

“Alright, fair.”

“Any other questions? No? Alright. Everyone turn to page four and look over the first project description. We’re starting right now. Now, how many of you have experience with childcare?” A few people, including Bucky and Steve, raised their hands. “Good. How many of you have younger siblings.” A few more hands. “Alright. Well. Class is about fifty-fifty people with some experience and people without so that’s perfect. Today, you will be paired up and given the prep work for taking care of robotic babies. Each pair will get assigned a fictional life that you will be working with over the course of the year. This includes jobs, housing, bills, number of kids and other dependents, and particular goals. For the next two weeks, we’ll be working on balancing budgets, savings, and fiscal responsibility. The goal of this is to learn how to financially provide for yourself and a family before taking on the stress of having an actual family. Part of the reason it’s structure like this because you will be accounting for childcare in your budgeting. So each day while your beloved children rest with me, they will be accounted for. Make sense?” General nods were given. “Great. Now. I’m gonna pair you up.” Ms. Hill proceeded to randomly pair students up, Natasha ending up with a freshman named Pietro, and Bucky with the girl with red tipped hair, who proved to be his twin sister Wanda. As the number of other students in the room dwindled, Steve started to panic. She wouldn’t stick him with Toni would she? She couldn’t. He might actually die if she did, and he’d tried so hard to avoid her —

“Steve and Antonia. You two would make a cute couple by the way. Ummm Storm and Scott….”

Steve glanced at Toni. Her face was a carefully controlled mask of neutrality but her knuckles were white with her grip on the desk. She clearly wasn’t happy about it either. When Ms. Hill had all the pairs stand in front of the photo backdrop for “family photos” Toni maintained a careful distance from Steve, throwing her hair up in a messy bun almost as a defense mechanism. It stayed that way until the bell rang, and she raced from the room so fast papers flew on a slight breeze.

Clearly, Steve was in for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next, an aria...


	3. Act 1: "Rich Girl's Lament", Aria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aria: Solo piece, typically to give insight into a character's mind or thought process. Sometimes in A-B-A format.
> 
> A glimpse into Toni's thoughts on this pairing, as well as a first look into why she's so mean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW this chapter for transphobia, dysphoria, and panic attacks. Also brief alcohol mentions.

Toni practically ran for the bathroom as soon as the bell rang. It was her free period and while she was technically supposed to report to the library, if she could just hide out in the bathroom for a period, she would be just fine. Why did that teacher have to pair her with Rogers of all people? Didn’t she know that he was the literal worst, taking up all of her father’s attention when he was sober, and then being all Howard could talk about, compare her to, when drunk? Rightfully hating her guts because all she ever managed to do was tear him to verbal shreds? Not kissing her despite her desperate desire for him to pin her to the lockers and do so? Hands shaking, she threw herself into a stall and bolted the door, leaning against it and trying to breathe. Her chest was too heavy, too tight, and not for the first time in her life, Toni wished she could claw her breasts off, dump them and her bra in the trash, and never think about them again. 

Not that that would fly at home.

“Mija,” her mother would say. “Mija you are a beautiful woman, why do you hate it so much?”

“Ingrate,” her father would slur. “Ungrateful, shameful little bastard. Ought to get her corrected.”

Her. God, how it hurt to hear that pointed pronoun from her father’s lips. It wasn’t that she was picky about the pronouns, really. When she said she thought she might be genderqueer she said they could still call her Antonia, use female pronouns, just that some days she might not feel like a woman. Of course that hadn’t gone over well.

So she was still firmly in the closet at school. Safe from shaming her parents.

Still firmly hating herself.

“God, this fucking sucks,” she said softly. 

“Toni?”

Toni jumped out of her skin at the soft voice. “Who’s there?”

“It’s Natasha.”

“Oh. Romanov. Um. Sorry. I’ll shut up now.”

“Are you okay?”

“What? Oh, yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Just. Got a stomach ache.”

“Alright then. Need me to go get someone? Not that far to the nurse.”

“No no I’m fine. Thanks though.”

It was quiet as Natasha washed her hands, the sound of the paper towel dispenser echoing in the silence. Toni waited anxiously for the door to open, the babble of students rushing to class, and eventually it came, gradually fading as the door swung shut. A few breaths and she relaxed, leaning against the cold tile wall so she could sink to the floor. “Just have to survive today, Toni. Just have to survive today.”

Her phone buzzed loudly in her purse. Fumbling, and cursing softly, she managed to dig it out, the screen lighting up to show a text from Justin.

_ Justin: Babe, where r u? _

Tony sighed and tossed the phone back in the bag. The idiot still didn’t seem to comprehend what “we’re through” meant. He probably still assumed they were on for their usual “study” date in the back of his vintage Camaro.

Steve would never expect her to let him put his hands up her skirt just for sitting in the backseat of his car. And a lame ass car at that. He was a gentleman.

Which she had teased him about on multiple occasions. Because what was admitting go feelings?

She carded her fingers through her hair, wishing it was shorter as she caught a tangle or five. With a groan, she went looking for her hairbrush, stumbling back across her phone.

_ Justin: Babe? _

_ Justin: Babe, c’mon what’s wrong? _

_ Justin: If this is about Marissa I promise nothing happened! I love you! _

Toni softened. Maybe Justin wasn’t so bad after all. Sure, he pushed her boundaries, and it took multiple repetitions of no for him to hear it but he was...decent.

More importantly, he came from money, a competitor’s money at that. Howard would be overjoyed if Toni managed to see this relationship out to wedding bells and mergers. Her stomach rolled at the thought of that. Justin was just courteous enough to hold out on sex for now, while Toni was still underage. But in a couple of years when that excuse was gone ...what would she do? She didn’t want to have sex with him.

Her chest was feeling too tight again.

Frantically, she started digging for her anxiety medication. “Stupid bag…” she mumbled, blinking back tears, breath coming still faster. Maybe she shouldn’t have borrowed Mama’s purse for the day, no matter how gorgeous it was. Her fingers closed on something cool and smooth to the touch.

Mama’s flask.

Almost ashamedly, Toni pulled it from the bag, noting that it felt quite full. Did Mama know she’d left this in here? That she’d left it in there  _ full _ ? 

Hesitantly, Toni unscrewed the cap and took a whiff, recoiling only to blink in surprise when it smelled like… nothing. She took a small sip, relaxing when she realized it was just water. She carefully put the flask down and managed to find her pills, hands shaking so bad she almost didn’t get one out. But she managed, swallowing the thing dry. Jarvis would be mad but the teenager really couldn’t bring herself to care. Not like anyone but Jarvis was invested in her as a person anyway.

There was just enough time for her meds to kick in before the bell rang, and Toni hauled herself to her feet before dusting herself off and making sure she looked spotless and perfect to return to facing the rest of the school. After all, she was queen bee here and that  _ meant something _ to people. 

The sea of students parted before her, people going silent in awe. Toni walking alone was a rarity. To see it on the first day seemed like an impossibility. 

Not that it lasted.

Within moments, Justin had glued himself to her side, Alexander close behind.

“Toni, baby,” Justin said, pulling her to a stop. “Where were you?”

“I didn’t feel well is all. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure, I can take you to the nurse I --”

“I’m fine,” Toni said firmly, giving him a little smile. Spotting Steve and Bucky out of the corner of her eye, her smile sharpened into a grin and she pressed into Justin a bit, holding onto his jacket lapels. “I promise, I’m totally fine.” Steve pushing past them made Justin wrap his arms around her to steady her.

“Hey watch it, asshole,” he called. “What a jerk.”

“Ignore him. He’s just a jealous scholarship kid. Let’s go to class.”

By lunch time, the whole school had heard that Antonia Stark, genius billionaire party girl, had been paired up with Steve Rogers for “Homemaker class” as Alexander called it.

Annoyed by the group talking about it as they ate, Toni got up to take care of her own trash. Then she had an idea. Walking with purpose, she came to a stop across from Steve, who was seated on one side of a table opposite Nat and Bucky, with Wanda and Pietro next to him.

“Rogers,” she said cooly.

“Stark.”

“I was thinking we should probably start work on this dumb project tonight since I have evening classes Tuesdays through Thursdays over at SUNY. Meet me by the dance studio after school and my driver will take us.” She tossed her hair. “That is, if the nuns won’t start climbing every mountain looking for you.”

Steve’s face stayed neutral but his nostrils flared. Good. He was angry.

“Sounds just fine to me,” Steve said. “I’ll just need to make sure I can call them to have someone pick me up when we’re done. You do have a landline right? Or is that beneath the great Antonia Stark?”

Toni narrowed her eyes. “We do. Jarvis will make sure you have access to it.”

“Wonderful. Thank you. I’ll meet you at the dance studio after school then, Antonia.”

She gave a small nod and, turning on her heel, walked off to deposit her tray on the conveyor belt into the kitchen. She was relieved that had gone so well, if she was honest. Steve would probably never be her biggest fan but at least she could maybe get them to some sort of truce. 

She’d just have to be okay with that.

The discussion of what was apparently the biggest news of the day hounded Toni all afternoon. By ninth period she was ready to scream and rip her skin off, and took advantage of her study hall period to once again hide out in a place away from prying eyes. This time, though, she chose to head for a teacher’s room.

Dr. Banner was young, kind of shy, and generally welcoming. He didn’t have a class for the period and readily welcomed Toni in.

“I can’t hide you all the time though,” he said firmly. “Not unless you’re going to get study hall changed to being a t a.”

Toni just shrugged. “Maybe. I just… can’t take everyone’s gossiping today. It’s making me anxious and I already took my rescue meds once today.”

Dr. Banner nodded. “That’s fair. I have to go meet with Dr. Richards down the hall. You promise not to cause any trouble?”

“Scout’s honor, bro.”

With a nod, Dr. Banner slipped out and left her to her hiding from the world. She put on her headphones and carefully shifted to get comfortable in the hard desk chair. That done, she closed her eyes and turned her music up as loud as she could comfortably go.

ACDC would at least keep her from another panic attack, even if they couldn’t help prevent another round of dysphoria. That she would just have to ride out to the best of her ability.

So rather than focus on the ways her body felt wrong, she mentally slipped off to the workshop corner of her mind. There, she proceeded to distract herself with mental calculations and designs for the next robot she wanted to build, one that could help her by handing her tools in the physical lab. The quiet around her, including the way she could hear the silence beyond her headphones, was comforting and let her focus. Dimensions and materials, programming sequences, all danced behind her eyelids as she worked through them, humming under her breath slightly out of tune. 

Just survive the day. Survive the day and you can go to sleep and tomorrow will be different.


End file.
